Never-quit Cubs avoided Game 5, so they get a little break

CHICAGO – Best in the majors this season, the Chicago Cubs cleared their first big October hurdle. Now, they wait to see who's next.

The Cubs advanced to the NL Championship Series for the second straight year by knocking out the San Francisco Giants in a thrilling four-game NLDS. They will face the winner of Thursday's Game 5 between the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers in what they hope will be another step toward the World Series championship that has eluded the franchise since 1908.

Game 1 is at Wrigley Field on Saturday.

"I think it validates on a lot of different levels the job that we have done to this point," manager Joe Maddon said. "If you're a player on this particular team within the organization, it's getting to the point now you want to expect to get to the postseason and you want to expect to get deeply into the postseason. It also speaks to the way we played."

Chicago is looking for more this time after getting swept by the New York Mets in the NLCS a year ago.

The Cubs dominated like no other team in the majors this season, running away with the NL Central championship. They got off to a 25-6 start and spent all but two days in first place on the way to a major league-best 103-58 record — the most wins by the Cubs since they finished the 1910 season with 104.

For a franchise defined by heartbreak rather than championships, one can only imagine the anxiety in Chicago had the NLDS returned to Wrigley Field for a Game 5 on Thursday. But instead of the billy goat and black cat and Bartman, all thoughts are on the next round for a team that has followed Maddon's advice to embrace the high expectations.

The NLDS sure was one wild grind.

That series had it all, whether it was Lester and Johnny Cueto dominating on the mound in Game 1, Javier Baez coming up with huge hits or spectacular plays, the Giants rallying in Game 3 and ultimately winning in 13 innings, or the Cubs scoring four in the ninth on Tuesday to wrap things up.

The Cubs joined the 1986 New York Mets (in Game 6 of the NLCS against Houston) as the only teams to rally from a three-run deficit in the ninth to win a playoff series clincher. They also stopped the San Francisco's 10-game winning streak when facing postseason elimination.

"They played us tough," MVP candidate Kris Bryant said. "I feel like if it did go back to Chicago we were ready to play. It's nice to get it done here, kind of regroup and find out who we're playing next."

Whether it's Washington or Los Angeles, either series would offer intriguing story lines.